Switch-operating mechanism.



J. W. MARKHAM. SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1914 w 0 1 Q(\:?\ N m Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Inventor Attorneys JAMES W. MARKHAM, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed August 19, 1914. Serial No. 857,538.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, JAMES W. MARKHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful Switch-Operating Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to switch operating mechanism and aimsto provide a novel and improved appliance whereby the motorman of'astreet car, may throw the switch piece or tongue without leaving thecar.

It is also within the scope of the invention, to provide a switchoperating mechanism which will be improved generally in itsconstruction, to enhance the utility and efficiency thereof. With theforegoing and other objects in view which will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement ofparts and in the details of construction hereinafter described andclaimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment ofthe invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what isclaimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the trackportion of the mechanism, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlargedsectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and illustrating the carand the portion of the operating mechanism carried thereby. Fig. 3 is anenlarged section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmental longitudinal section of the car illustrating the portion ofthe actuating mechanism carried thereby.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the main track from which theside track or switch 2 is branched, the usual switch piece -or tonguebeing designated by the numeral 3 and being mounted for oscillation inthe the upturned flanges or ribs 5 along its side edges, the forward andrear ends of the plate 4 and its flanges or ribs 5 being flared as at 6and 7, respectively. The plate 4 is preferably mounted upon a case orhousing 8 eilnbedded within the road bed between the m1 s. 1

A trip lever 9 is fulcrumed intermediate its ends upon the plate 4midway between the flanges or ribs 5 of the said plate, the lever 9being secured upon the upper end of an upright rock shaft 10 which isjournaled through the plate 4 and which projects into the case 8. Theforward end of the lever 9 is pointed, as at 11, while the rear end ofthe lever is enlarged or flared, as at 12, to swing snugly within theflared portion 7 of the plate 4. When the rear endor' arm 12 of the triplever 9 is swung against one side of the flared portion 7, the forwardor pointed end .11 of the lever will rest against the opposite rib orflange 5, as seen in Fig. 1, it being noted that the plate 4 and itsribs or flanges 5 form a channel in which the trip lever is pivoted. forcooperation with the car-carried device as will hereinafter appear.

The trip lever 9 is operatively connected to the switch piece or tongue3 to throw the same, and to this end an arm 13 is secured to the rockshaft 10 within the case 8, and a longitudinal reciprocatory rod 14 ispivoted tothe arm 13 and extends to a point inside of the switch pieceor tongue 3. The

rod 14 is slidable through the case 8 and through a case or housing 15disposed at the inside of the switch piece or tongue 3.

In order to operatively connect the rear end of the 'rod 14 and theswitch piece or tongue 3, a transverse rod 16 is slidable through an earor lug 17 depending from the switch piece or tongue 3, a nut or stop 18being engaged upon the rod 16 to rest against the 'outer side of the earor lug 17. A nut or seat member 19 is fixed upon the rod 16 between theswitch piece 3 and the rod 14, and a coiled wire expansion spring 20 isdisposed upon the rod 16 between the ear or lug 17 and the nut 19, tohold the ear or lug 17 yieldably against the nut or stop '18. Ifdesired, the rod 16 may be extended,

as at 21, to operate a signal or semaphore (not shown).

The inner end portion of the rod or bar 16 is provided with an apertureor slot 22 through which the rear end portion of the rod 14 is engaged,the rear end portion of the rod 14, having an offset providingan obliqueor diagonal cam 23 which is sli'dable through the slot 22.. The camportion 23 is slidable through the slot 22 of the rod 16, whereby thereciprocation of the rod '14 will reciprocate the rod 16. "When the rod14;. is slid forwardly, portion 23 -will be moved completely through theslot 22 to the forward side of the rod 16, and the rod 16 be positively.locked against inward movement. 7 a.

-The car-carried device is attached to the ffront truck 2e andthe carbody 25, and embodies a vertical guide 26 attached to the truck 24 andhaving a lower bell 'or flared portion 27. a 3 A plunger 28 is slidablethrough the guide 26 andhas pivoted to its lower end, a tappet-29 whichis arranged to vb'yithe motorman, and to this end the guide 26.isprovided with an arm 31 to which a bell crank lever 32 is'fulcrumed,the lower 7 armof the lever 32 ,being operatively connected to the upperend of the plunger 28,

and a draft rod-ormember 33 being pivoted the upper arrnof the receiver32 and ex- "tending forwardly to a point underneath thefront platform ormotormans cab- The forward end of the rod.33 is pivoted to a bell cranklever 34fu1crume'd to hanger 35 securedto the carv body-25 and a thrustrod or-plunger 36 is slidable through the floor or platform of the'carbody 25 and has its lower end pivoted to the lever. 34;. The thrust;rod .36 is spring raised, to ordinarily iraise the plunger 28 and tappet29 carried ther eby, in order thatthe tappet will not interfere with';any objects upon the road bed... The thrust rod 36, however, may bereadily depressed by the pressure of the motormans foot, to depress thetappet 29 when. it is desired to throw the switch'piece tongue 3 as thecar approaches the switch. i s

ln operation, assuming the rod 14 tobe slid forwardly 'as seen in Fig.1, to thereby bring the trip lever to the full line position, and tobring the switch piece 3 to closed posi tioin. a car may then pass alongthe main track 1 without entering the branch or side trackaboveindicated, thecam portionrl23 of the rod 24L'moves completely .totheiforw ardside ofthe rod 16,:to hold. the an rod against movement-,5Thus, when the m v wadw o 1 will be forced outwardlyto bring the switchpiece or tongue 3 to closed position, it being noted, however, that thespring 20 enables the switch piece 3 to swing to open position when acar passes from the branch or side track 2 onto the main track 1. Assoon as the switch piece 3 is released, itwill return to closed positionunder theinfiuence of the spring 20. When a car following the main track1 and approaching the branch or side track 2, is to run onto the branchor side track, the motorman depresses the thrust rod 36 asthecar'approaches the switch, whereby the tappet 29 may be depressed tomovejsnugly over the plate 4 and contact.

with and ride along that side ofv thellever 9 which is foremost. Thus,assumingthe trip lever 9 to'be in; the position illustrated in Fig.1,-as the tappet 29 wipes or rides along the side of the lever 9, andreaches the rear end or arm of the lever 9, the said trip lever will bethrown or swung to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1. Thiswill force the rod 14 rearwardly and will move the cam portion 23thereof through the opening 22 of they-rod 16, to

springs 30, andthe said (springs enable the tappet 29 to swing laterallyor to one side or .the other, as it passes around the trip lever 29, andwhich will assistinthrowing or swinging the trip lever from one positionto the other. i It is also to be noted that when the rod l l is movedrearwardly to swing the switch piece 3 inwardly, the cam portion 23 willnot move completelythroughthe slot .22, and consequently when the cartraverses the main track 1 from. the left hand side of- Fig. 1 to theright hand side, the switch piece 3iwill beswung outwardly to closedposition and the rod 16 engaging the cam portion 23 will move the rod 1L forwardly to again return the trip lever 9: to its practically normalposition. However, if the switch piece 3 is left open, acar approachingthe branch or side track 2. along the.

main track, may pass along-the maintrack without entering the'branch orsidetrack, for the reason that the. motorman may actuate the triplever19'by depressing the tappet 29. In other words, thecar-carrieddevice is operable for swinging the trip lever 9 in eitherdirection when necessary. v

With the presentappliance, the motorman may readily throw the switchpiece or s th l a a I .The present apparatus is comparatively tongue 3.when necessary, and without leavsimple and inexpensive in construction,may be readily installed, and is practical and efficient in its use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is In a switchoperating mechanism, a switch piece, a transverse reciprocatory rod, theswitch piece having a portion through which the said rod is slidable, astop carried by the said rod and seatable against the outer side of thesaid portion of the switch piece, a spring carried by the said rod foryieldably holding the switch piece against the said stop, a trip lever,and a longitudinal reciprocatory rod operatively connected to the triplever and having an offset portion providing a diagonal cam portion, thefirst mentioned rod having a slot through which the said cam portion ismovable to reciprocate the first mentioned rod, the cam portion beingarranged to move completely through the first mentioned rod when thesaid rod is moved outwardly and being arranged to remain partiallywithin the said slot when the first mentioned rod is moved inwardly.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES W. MARKHAM.

Witnesses:

WM. EDWARDS, C. F. WERNER.

coplel of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratentl,

Washington, D. 0.

